2011 Suzuki Kizashi Sport, an AW Flash Drive

March 30, 2010

Share

Facebook

Tweet

Pinterest

Email

What is it?

It's the coming freshening of the couple-months-new Kizashi sedan, one of the quickest freshenings in automotive history. The Sport designation goes to the upper two of Kizashi's four models. The base S and volume SE models stay the same. The GTS and SLS are now called GTS Sport and SLS Sport. The Sport versions get new 18-inch wheels, a new front fascia from the concept car shown two years ago, new rockers and a new rear spoiler. The car is lowered 10 millimeters (0.39 inch), and those wheels are two pounds lighter apiece. Oh, and the steering wheel on the Sport is partly leather.

What's it like to drive?

Suzuki set up a nice autocross course at the former El Toro Air Base and lined up a number of competitors. Assuming they didn't remove the springs, shocks and sway bars from the competitors, or lower the pressures in half the tires, the Kizashi felt much better around the crazy first- and second-gear course. Suzuki says the Sport gets "a little bit more nimble feeling" than the rest of the Kizashi line, listing a skidpad improvement from 0.90 g to 0.93 g. While the front-wheel-drive Sport we drove didn't feel like a BMW M3, it did corner more stably than the other cars we drove that afternoon, including a Toyota Camry, a Ford Fusion and a Mazda 6. The Kizashi exhibited better control of the understeer inherent in that class and there was little lift-throttle oversteer.

None of these cars is being bought for autocrossing, true, but the Kizashi felt decently safe around the course, maybe even fun. There are no changes to the 185-hp four. Kizashis are offered in front- and all-wheel drive and with a six-speed manual or a continuously variable transmissions, the latter which sucks the fun out of anything it's put in, regardless of manufacturer. The manual Sport we drove was the far better choice, if you're alive and paying attention when you drive.

Do I want it?

It's smaller than the "competitors" Suzuki had on hand, but throwing it in with those cars--which sell in huge numbers compared with the Kizashi's modest 10,000 or so a year--is a clever way for Suzuki to get on the consideration lists of buyers in the bigger segment. Pricing won't be released until closer to the Sport's showroom debut in August, but execs pointed out that the current Kizashi GTS stickers for about $22,500, and the Sport wouldn't be much more. Do you want it? You should definitely drive it if you're in the market for a practical sedan and want something that at least tries to look and drive sportier. This one succeeds in both regards.